Convertible railway hopper car

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a container such as a railroad car or a truck having bottom hoppers for the discharge of loose bulk cargo which is equally usable for loose bulk cargo or prepackaged stackable cargo. The conversion of the car from a form suitable for packaged cargo to one suitable for bulk cargo is accomplished through the incorporation of self-storing slope sheets or secondary floors for use with loose cargo and the incorporation of hinged covers for use over the hoppers when the car is being used for packaged bulk cargo. The self-storing slope sheets are secured in position against an end wall or adjacent the ceiling during the hauling of packaged cargo and are against an end wall for the hauling of loose cargo. The slope sheets are moved to a position where they form a continuous sloped floor to the hopper during the unloading of the loose bulk cargo sweeping the contents to the hopper. The use of the self-storing slope sheets enables the car to be filled to its entirety when both packaged and loose cargo is being transported.

United States Patent [191 Lemon et al.

[ CONVERTIBLE RAILWAY HOPPER CAR [75] Inventors: Lucien W. Lemon,Renton; Kristjan H. Palsson, Seattle, both of Wash.

[73] Assignee: Pacific Car and Foundry Company,

Bellevue, Wash.

22 Filed: Mar. 12,1971

21 Appl. No.: 123,692

[52] US. Cl. 214/82, 62/39, 105/243,

[51] Int. Cl 860d 1/56, B6ld 3/06, B61d 7/32 [58] Field of Search 62/39;105/243, 280;

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Great Britain 105/243 June 12, 1973Primary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-Howard BeltranAttorney-Seed, Berry, Dowrey & Cross [5 7] ABSTRACT This inventionrelates to a container such as a railroad car or a truck having bottomhoppers for the discharge of loose bulk cargo which is equally usablefor loose bulk cargo or pre-packaged stackable cargo. The conversion ofthe car from a form suitable for packaged cargo to one suitable for bulkcargo is accomplished through the incorporation of self-storing slopesheets or secondary floors for use with loose cargo and theincorporation of hinged covers for use over the hoppers wen the car isbeing used for packaged bulk cargo. The selfstoring slope sheets aresecured in position against an end wall or adjacent the ceiling duringthe hauling of packaged cargo and are against an end wall for thehauling of loose cargo. The slope sheets are moved to a position wherethey form a continuous sloped floor to the hopper during the unloadingof the loose bulk cargo sweeping the contents to the hopper. The use ofthe self-storing slope sheets enables the car to be filled to itsentirety when both packaged and loose cargo is being transported.

10 Claims, 15 Drawing Figures PATENIEBJIN I 2515 FHGOZ FIG 3 INVENTORS.LUCIEN W. LEMON KRISTJAN H.PALSSON FATHER- 3.738.511

O O o O O l4 32 5 l I NVENTORS. LUCIE" W. LEMON BY KRIST'J AN PALSSONATTORNEYS PAIENIEB JUN I 3 SlEEI'SIFS FIG, I 8

INVENTORS LUCIEN W. LEMON BY KRISTJAN H. PALSSON g 5 9 I M A ATTORNEYSPAIENIEU 3.738.511

SHEEI 5 0F 5 FIG 1L3 ENTORS 3 LUCIEN LEMON BY KRISTJAN H. PALSSONATTORNEYS CONVERTIBLE RAILWAY HOPPER CAR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Inview of the major investment made in a railroad car or other cargocarrier and the capital thereby tied up, it is inherently desirable toutilize this vehicle to the utmost. In the past there have been specialcars for the hauling ofloose bulk materials, special cars for thehandling of packaged bulk materials as well as special cars for thehandling of items which need refrigeration as opposed to those which donot need refrigeration. In the event that one of the specialized carswas off loaded at a depot whereat there was no specialized return cargoavailable the car has either stood around unused until a suitable returncargo was accumulated or alternatively the carrier returned or wasremoved to another point in an empty condition. Either disposition ofthe car being wasteful of economy and prohibitorily expenslve.

In the past there have been many attempts to build a railroad car orlike vehicle which is convertible from a form suitable for use inhauling pre-packaged goods to one suitable for use in hauling loose bulkgoods. Historically, the conversion has involved placing secondarywalls, floors or slope sheets within a boxcar having hoppers such thatthe loose bulk goods can be emptied by gravity through the hoppers inthe bottom of the vehicle. The use of secondary walls, floors and orslope sheets has inherently reduced the capacity of the vehicle in thatthey generally extend from a position on the floor of the car adjacentthe hopper opening to a position at the top of the car or near theretoand extend at an angle to the floor and walls thus removing the entirelower corner of the vehicle from use for transporting the cargo.

Vehicles of the type hereinabove described are illustrated in U.S. Pat.No. 3,087,759 granted Apr. 30, 1963 to A. .I. Worchester; U.S. Pat. No.3,413,032 granted Nov. 26, 1968 to J. W. Denbe; and U.S. Pat. No.183,334 granted Oct. 17, 1876 to E. D. Shaffer.

With the above noted problems and prior solutions in mind it is anobject of the present invention to provide a vehicle which may quicklyand easily be converted from a form suitable for use for handlingpre-packaged material to one which is suitable for use in handling loosebulk materials and yet allow full use of the interior of the vehicle.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle whichhas a capability of carrying a full load whether the vehicle is used forloose bulk material or packaged goods and includes as an integral partof the vehicle the equipment required to convert the car from one to theother.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a vehiclewherein a self storing slope sheet is included within the vehicle andthis slope sheet, which is stored against the ceiling of the vehiclewhen hauling packaged goods, is used to assist in unloading loose bulkmaterial by a sweeping action along the floor. When the slope sheet hasits lower edge adjacent the edge of a hopper, it presents a slopingsurface guiding the loose bulk materials towards the hopper throughwhich the vehicle is being unloaded.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a vehiclewhich will provide an adequate and continuous, uniform circulation ofconditioned air in and throughout the contents of the vehicle whetherthe contents be bulk in form or packaged.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a vehiclewhich is suitable for use as a refrigerated vehicle in that the entirevehicle including the unloading hoppers and their closures are insulatedto assist in maintaining the vehicle at a proper predeterminedtemperature and to assure uniform cargo tem perature throughout thevehicle.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle whereinthe design of the interior of the car permits circulation of conditionedair throughout the entire car.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an isometric view of thesubject railroad car with the slope sheets in the position they wouldoccupy during transport of bulk cargo.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the subject railroad car with one of theslope sheets in the position it would assume for discharge of bulkmaterial and further showing a means for carrying the bulk material fromthe car following discharge from the car.

FIG. 3 is a partial isometric of the subject railroad car showing onepossible means of loading bulk cargo into the car whereby a full loadcan be assured.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the subject car in a partially dischargedcondition showing the use of one of the slope sheets.

FIG. 5 is an isometric view partially broekn away showing one means formoving the slope sheet to the discharge position and detailing onepossible method of covering the hopper opening when it is desired to usethe car for pre-packaged cargo.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a means of moving the slope sheet from thedischarge position to a position adjacent an end wall and furtherdetailing the preferred means of moving the slope sheet to the dischargeposi- I tion.

FIG. 7 is a schematic showing another possible means for moving theslope sheet to the discharge position.

FIG. 8 is an end view of the subject car partially broken away, showingthe relationship of the various elements.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing the various positions obtainable withthe preferred slope sheet construction and another method of returningthe slope sheet to its stored position.

FIG. 10 is a section through the hopper of the subject car showing indetail the construction, including the insulation, of said hopper.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged detail portion of the hopper showing the meansfor opening and closing of the bottom closure of the hoppers.

FIG. 12 is an isometric section of the subject vehicle showing detailsof the interior.

FIG. 13 is an isometric partially broken away of the subject vehicleshowing the flow of cooling air.

FIG. 14 is a section through a hopper portion of the car moreparticularly showing the air flow.

FIG. 15 is a section through a rear hopper portion of the car moreparticularly showing the air flow.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 thepreferred embodiment of the convertible cargo carrier is shown as arailroad car and is standard to the extent that it has a plurality ofwheels 2 that ride upon tracks 4 and has generally elongated exteriorshell 6 including coupling devices 8 and a section 10 at the end of thevehicle for air conditioning equipment. The car has a conventionalsliding door 12 on each side of the car for universal access. Theexterior of the car is likewise of a known configuration in that itincludes a plurality of hoppers 14, 15, 16 extending from the bottomportion thereof. Whereas it is known to have hoppers to assist inunloading vehicles when they are used for hauling bulk cargo, specificstructural details of these hoppers will be pointed out hereinafter.

The interior of the illustrative car is modified by the inclusion of achannel member 20 which extends, at a level generally below the level ofthe floor of the car, between the outer extremes of the hoppers.Likewise the interior of the conventional car is modified by theinclusion of a hinged slope sheet or false floor 22 having a lowerportion 21 and an upper portion 23 to be described in greater detailhereinafter. Suffice it to say at this point that the slope sheet 22 isreadily movable from the position shown in FIG. 1, which is the positionwhich would allow the maximum utility of the carrier when carrying bulkcargo, to that shown as the unload position in the righthand portion ofFIG. 2 as well as enabling ready movement to a stored position,hereinafter described. As shown in FIG. 1, and mentioned above, thepreferred embodiment of the present invention includes three dischargehoppers on the bottom of the vehicle but it is not intended that theapplication be so restricted since it is equally feasible that the samemodus operandi be used with either one, two or even more dischargehoppers if such were desired.

As can be seen in FIG. 3 the door 12 in the preferred embodiment hasbeen modififed to include a trap door or auxiliary opening 13 in theupper portion thereof for ease in fully loading the car with bulkmaterial. As can be seen in the Fig. the opening 13 is utilized by aconveyor 30 which carries bulk cargo, such as potatoes, from a centraldischarge point into the interior of the vehicle at which point it canbe moved, either automatically or manually, to the extremes of the carthus enabling the entire vehicle to be filled with bulk cargo. Followingthe filling of the car, the opening 12 is closed by a door 31 (FIG. 4)resulting in a substantially airtight container.

Referring now to FIG. 4 which depicts the convertible car during thedischarge operation it can be seen that the central hopper 14 is shownin an open position and the bulk cargo which normally would be carriedin a position above the hopper has been withdrawn and removed. Likewiseshown in FIG. 4 is a hopper 14 (to the left) with the discharge dooropen and including a conveyor 32 to carry the cargo away from the car asit is discharged from the vehicle. It is to be noted at this point thatslope sheet 22 at the left end of the vehicle has been moved to aposition intermediate the end wall and the edge of hopper 14 urging allof the material in that end of the car toward the open hopper. Therighthand hopper 16 as seen in FIG. 4 is shown in closed condition andthe slope sheet 22 shown in the position it occupies during transport ofbulk cargo. Following the completion of the emptying of the cargolocated in the left hand of the car through hopper 14 the cover for thehopper 16 will be opened and the remainder of the cargo discharged.

It is to be understood that the unloading of the cargo is not limited tothe sequence as described heretofore but depending upon the unloadingfacilities, including storage accessability, one, two or all of thehoppers may be opened and used to unload the vehicle simultaneously.Both ends of the car will be swept by the respective slope sheet thuscompletely emptying the car through the hoppers and yet allowing thefull use of the interior of the car during transport.

As can be seen in FIG. 5, one possible mechanism for moving the slopesheet 22 from a position adjacent the end of the car as shown in FIG. 1to that where it assists in unloading the vehicle, i.e., its lower endadjacent the upper lip of a hopper, comprises a winch 40 having a drum41 which includes a gear 42 secured to one end thereof. In mesh with thegear 42 is a gear 44 mounted upon a shaft 46 which is journaled in aplate 43 at an end and in a trunion 45 at the other. Shaft 46 is adaptedto be driven by a portable motor 48 which can be either gas orelectrically powered. For convenience the driving motor 48 is mountedupon a dolley 50 having a main frame 49 and a movable frame 51 which isadjustable in height to accommodate differences in the relative distancebetween the shaft 46 and the supporting ground.

It is to be noted that another gear 52 in mesh with gear 44 is mountedupon a shaft 54 which is journaled in plate to the other side of thevehicle through trunion 61. The inclusion of the secondary drive meanspermits the use of the sweeping action of the slope sheets from eitherside of the vehicle without any alteration thus eliminating loss of timein moving the motor 48 or the like. The channel member 20, hereinabovedescribed, shields the cable and prevents the bulk material from beingdamaged by the cable and further, prevents the cargo from becominglodged within the winch 40 as it winds cable 41. Cable 41 from the winch40 extends to the end of the hopper within the channel 20 and thenextends to the end of the car beneath the floor and is attached to thebottom of slope sheet 22.

When it is desirable to unload the car the motor 48 is connected to theshaft 46 or the shaft 54 and the winch 40 driven, thus winding the cableand pulling the bottom portion of the slope sheet 22 towards the edge ofthe hopper. As the slope sheet is moved toward the edge of the hopper itslides along the floor, moving all the material toward the hopper whichis open for unloading. As the bottom of the slope sheet moves toward theopen hopper, the surface presented to the bulk cargo presents a slopingsurface thus further urging the cargo to move, as a result of thegravitation force, toward the open hopper.

Hinged cover 56, shown in the open position in FIG. 5, is secured in theopen position when the vehicle is used to haul bulk cargo, allowingtotal access to the hopper for discharge. Hatch cover 56 is constructedsuch that when pivoted to the closed position it serves as a part of thefloor of the car, presenting a uniform upper surface for stacking ofpackaged goods as well as the entry and exit of wheeled vehicles to loador unloadv the car.

Referring now in particular to FIGS. 6 and 7 it can be seen that thereare at least two distinct methods of moving the slope sheets from aposition against the end of the car as described hereinabove and theposition whereat the slope sheet provides a continuous sloping surfaceto the hopper likewise described hereinabove.

FIG. 6 may be most easily read in conjunction with FIG. 5 which likewiseshows a winch 40 adapted to wind a cable 41 which has its other endattached to the bottom portion of the slope sheet 22. As hereinabovedescribed with reference to FIG. 5, a pair of driving gears 44, 52 arein mesh with a gear 42 mounted to the end of the winch drum 41 andprovide the power necessary to wind the cable and thus pull the slopesheet to the discharge position. It should be noted and hereinafterpointed out specifically that the upper surface of the floor of the caris generally above the channel member thus offering further protectionfor the cable and winding mechanism and likewise as to be notedhereinafter providing extra space for the movement of cooling airthrough the vehicle. Although FIG. 6 has portions removed for clarity itcan be seen that the winch 40 and the associated driving mechanism islocated generally between discharge hoppers and the cable 41 extendsthrough channel 20 to terminate at the bottom of slope sheet 22. Channel20 is located beneath the floor level and terminates adjacent the edgeof a hopper such that when the slope sheet is in its extended ordischarge position it will abut the end of channel 20 and will presentan essentially smooth surface to the cargo being discharged. Since thechannel 20 terminates adjacent the hopper it is impossible for the slopesheet 22 to move beyond that point since the cable is contained withinthe channel and the slope sheet will not pass through the channel. Toprevent damage to the vehicle or attachments, the vehicle will beprovided with a limit switch or the like to automatically terminatemovement of the slope sheet at the edge of the hopper or alternativelyto signal the operator that it is necessary to terminate movement.

For convenience and ease of use, the bottom portion of the slope sheet22 may be provided with suitable guides or equipped with permanentlubricant such as Teflon to assist in the movement of the sheet alongthe floor of the vehicle. Slope sheet 22 has a return mechanism securedto the face opposite the cable 41. One possible return mechanismconsists of a second cable 70 adapted to be wound on a hand winch 72which will pull the slope sheet to a position adjacent the end wall.Slope sheet 22 may well be provided with a locking pin 74 for securingthe sheet against the end wall when the vehicle is being used forpackaged cargo or when the vehicle is being transported in an emptycondition.

It is to be remembered that when the slope sheet is moved from theposition adjacent the end wall to the discharge positions it will inessence be sweeping the bottom portion of the vehicle thus moving agreatdeal of weight. Because of the volume of cargo moved it is necessary toprovide a power source to move the slope sheet to this position.

As an alternate to the method of moving the slope sheet as shown in FIG.7 and described hereinabove there is schematically shown in FIG. 7another method of moving the sheet wherein there is a worm 80 and a nut82. The worm is powered and the nut is secured to the slope sheetenabling the worm to drive the slope sheet from a position adjacent theend wall to discharge position. The use of the worm and nut enables thesame mechanism to be used to return the sheet to the position adjacentthe end wall by simply reversing the direction of rotation of the worm.

A picture of the relative positions of the various elements hereinbeforedescribed can be had with reference to FIG. 8 which clearly depicts apair of main frame members F that underlie and support the entirevehicle. Mounted between the frame members are a plurality of crossmembers 84 which are a part of the standard under carriage for arailroad car. A plurality of hoppers I-I extend down below the floor andbetween the cross members. The hoppers are closed by a cover memberdescribed in greater detail hereinafter. Extending upwardly from theframe members F are the walls W, and the outer shell is completed bymeans of a roof R. Channel 20 described hereinabove and which serves toprotect the cable in the preferred embodiment is mounted above the crossmember 84. Above the channel 20 is the load supporting floor 86 havinglateral supports and longitudinal floor slats 87. As seen in thelefthand portion of the Fig. the floor area above the hopper will bepivoted upwardly about elongated pin 83 and secured against the sidewall by any appropriate means when it is desirable to carry bulkmerchandise which will be discharged through the hopper. When it is thedesire of the transporter to use the vehicle or packaged merchandise thefloor area above the hopper will be pivoted back to the position shownin the right hand side of the Fig. where the upper surface of the floorslats 87 will coincide with the upper surface of the remainder of thefloor of the car. As can be seen in this view the bottom most portion 21of the slope sheet 22 is located in a position above the floor boardwhereat it can be moved by means of cable 41 without interfering withthe floor boards. The upper portion 23 of the slope sheet 22 includes apair of fixed pins 88 hingedly mounting the top edge of the slope sheet22 to the walls of the car. A passage for the circulation of conditionedair is provided adjacent the top of the vehicle and generally above theuppermost portion of the slope 23 such that the slope sheet does notinterfere with air circulation in any of its possible positions.

Reference now being had to FIG. 9, an alternative method of returningthe slope sheet to a position adjacent the end wall and eventually tothe stored position is shown in conjunction with a schematic showing ofthe various positions which the slope sheet will assume. The slope sheet22 is shown in solid lines in the position against the end wall, theposition it will have during transport of bulk material. When the slopesheet is moved forwardly to discharge the contents of the car it willpivot about its upper edge to the position denoted as A and will windthe torsion spring 99. When the vehicle is completely discharged and itis desirable to move the slope sheet back against the wall, thelowermost portion of portion 21 of the slope sheet 22 is released andthe torsion spring will return the upper portion to the position shownin solid lines and thus the lower portion 21 will pivot about hinge 19to again rest against the end wall. If it is desirable to use thevehicle for packaged goods the lower portion 21 of slope sheet 22 willbe raised to its stored position adjacent the top of the vehicle asindicated at B. It is to be noted that it is well within the scope ofthis invention that the slope sheet will be provided with locking pinssuch as that shown at 89 in FIG. 8 enabling the sheet to be secured atthe stored position, in a position against the end wall, and if sodesired at the discharged position. It is to be understood that althoughthe car is designedsuch that acquire, the car may be used as aconventional hopper car with the slope sheets in the discharge (A)position.

The details of the hopper mechanism can be seen in FIGS. 10 and 11wherein the section for FIG. 10 is generally longitudinally of the car.The hopper has smooth sloping side plates 100 having a plurality ofreinforcing members 102 coexistant therewith. The reinforcing members102 extend in a sloping vertical direction out-- side the smooth surface100 and extend-from approximately the bottom most portion of theinterior hopper skin 100 to the point adjacent the uppermost portionwhere it is bolted to the underframe 104 of the vehicle itself. Theuppermost portion of the reinforcing members 102 are secured together bymeans of a peripheral reinforcing member 106 and the lowermost portionof the reinforcing members 102 are secured together by a peripheralframe member 108. As can be seen in the Fig., the hinged cove rs 86comprising the rigid supports 85 and the floor boards 87 are shown intheir closed position. It is to be noted that when the hinged covers arein their closed position the upper surface coincides with the remainderof the floor of the vehicle such that there is a smooth surface forstacking the packaged goods to be carried. Referring now to FIG. 13wherein the closure is shown in greater detail it can be seen that theclosure comprises a plate 120 which serves to actually close the bottomof the hopper and rides upon the upper portion of the channel member 22forming part of frame 108 and which likewise serves as a track for thewheels hereinafter described. It can be seen in this Fig. that thechannel member 122 is formed as an integral part of a terminatingelement for the hopper itself. The terminating element 124 is secured bywelding or the like to the slope sheet 100.

As can be seen, the entire surface of the hopper is insulated, the sidesas at 140 and the cover as at 142. It is to be noted that the insulation142 is an integral part of the hopper cover such that when the hopper isclosed it is simultaneously insulated. The provision of a turned backlip 144 which is insulated and adapted to interlock with the hopperconstruction as well as the interlocking sides prevents air passageassuring constant temperature within the car. The cover for the hopperwill be subjected to a fair amount of weight when the car is loaded andthus requires substantial force to open it to allow discharge of thecontents. Provision is made for opening the cover by means of rack 150and pinion 152 but the cover could be opened by any one of a number ofconventional methods.

The construction of the interior of the car'aids in the circulation ofair as well as providing the necessary strength and conveniencerequired. As can be seen in FIG. 12, the hollow member 90 extends thelength of the vehicle and is above slope sheet 22. The lower portion of90 is perforated to allow conditioned air forced through the member topass outwardly to the interior of the vehicle. The side walls of thevehicle have a corrugated surface allowing unhindered vertical movementof air along the surface. The upper surface of the floor is similarlycorrugated to permit unrestricted flow of air longitudinally of thevehicle beneath the cargo thus assuring the maintenance of a uniformtemperature throughout the entire vehicle. Channels 160 along the lowercorners further assist in guiding the air through the desired flowpattern. The general pattern of the circulating air can be seen in FIG.13 wherein blower 160 forces air through the passage 90 which hasperforations therein allowing the cool air to fall to the cargo space.When the air reaches the end wall 162 opposite blower it follows thewall downwardly behind the slope sheet, to the floor where it isreturned between the floor boards to be cooled again and recycled. Theair which leaves the passageway intermediate the ends circulatesdownwardly through the cargo to the floor at which point it will followthe floor corrugations to be recycled. The air adjacent the side walls,having been heated by contact with this exterior surface rises to theceiling whereat it joins the cooled air being circulated and falls to berecycled and recooled.

Blower 160 draws the air from behind the slope sheet, thus from thebottom of the vehicle, thus it can be seen that the continualcirculation of air causes the cooling effect to be uniform throughoutthe car. Sections l2l2 and 14-14 depict the air circulation along theother dimension wherein as in FIG. 13 the cool air falls atapproximately the center of the car, proceeds to the bottom of thehopper, returns upwardly beneath channels 162 at the upper edge of thehopper to the outside walls where it continues upwardly along the wallto be recirculated. FIG. 14 which is a cross section adjacent the hoppershows that the cooled air falling in this portion will fall through thecargo and follow the floor boards to be recirculated as described above.

As can be seen, the subject vehicle provides a means for using theentire interior of the vehicle whether used for bulk material orpackaged goods. The movable slope sheet allows rapid discharge of thebulk goods without sacrifice of interior space and the location of thevarious elements allows efficient circulation of cooling air whichremains within the vehicle because of the complete insulation.

The embodiments of the invention in which a particular property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A convertible covered hopper car; including upstanding vertical outerend and side walls, a floor,a ceiling and at least one discharge hopperprovided in the floor, the improvement comprising: sectional slope sheetmeans pivotally secured adjacent the ceiling movable from a retractedposition with a first section adjacent said outer end walls and a secondsection adjacent said ceiling to an extended sloping position, saidslope sheet means having a lower edge moveable along the floor towardthe hopper until the lower edge is adjacent the edge of the hopper asthe slope sheet is extended, and means shielded from the interior of thecar for moving the slope sheets to the extended position whereby thematerial may be swept to the edge of the hopper by the slope sheetduring the movement to the extended position.

2. A vehicle of claim 1 wherein said moving means for said slope meansincludes power transmission means directly connected to the bottom ofsaid slope sheet and a drive means independent of said vehicle butselectively engageable with said drive means for use with differentvehicles.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein said slope sheet means has the secondsection pivotally mounted to the side walls adjacent to top thereof andthe first section pivotally joined to the lower edge of said secondsection for movement with said second section as a unit from theretracted position wherein said second section is generally parallel tothe floor and said first section is generally vertical, to an extendedposition wherein the sections form a generally continuous co-planersurface from the hopper upwardly and outwardly to a line inboard fromits respective end wall, adjacent the roof whereby all material withinthe vehicle is either pushed toward the hopper or flows by gravitationalforce to the hopper.

4. The vehicle of claim 3 including bearing means on the lower edge tosaid first section for sliding along the floor, means for retractingupper and lower sections and means for locking the slope sheet means inretracted position, said moving means for said slope sheet meansincluding cable secured to lower edge and adapted to be wrapped around awinch drum located generally centrally of the adjacent end of thevehicle, transmission means coupled to said winch drum having a couplerextending outwardly of the vehicle and an independent power drive meansselectively engagble with 'said coupler and completely removable fromsaid coupler and said vehicle whereby a single drive means may be usedfor different vehicles.

5. A vehicle as in claim 1 wherein the slope sheet means is moved fromthe stored position to the discharge position by means of a worm and anut.

6. A material handling vehicle capable of carrying bulk material to bedischarged through an opening at the bottom of the vehicle and packagedmaterial to be loaded and unloaded through side doors; comprising anexterior shell having a top, bottom, side and end walls, at least one ofsaid side walls having a scalable opening therein and at least oneopening at the bottom, discharge means mounted inside the shell movablefrom a first position adjacent the end wall bearing the bottomsubstantially free of obstruction to a second sloping position overlyingthe bottom and having the lowermost edge adjacent the bottom opening toassist in unloading the vehicle through the bottom opening; saiddischarge means comprising a substantially planer element serving as theinterior end wall, occupying the first position during thetransportation of the goods, whereby the vehicle has a substantiallylarger carrying capacity using the entire interior of the shell and asthe discharge means moves from the first position to the second positionthe material is swept to the discharge opening, means for moving thedischarge means from the stored position to the discharge position, andmeans for moving discharge means back to the stored positron.

7. A vehicle as in claim 6 wherein the discharge means comprises a rigidsheet pivotally mounted to the upper portions of the vehicle.

8. A vehicle as in claim 6 wherein the discharge means comprises a pairof rigid flat members hingedly secured together, one of said membersbeing hingedly secured to the upper portion of the vehicle whereby themeans can be stored with one member adjacent the ceiling and the othermember adjacent the end wall.

9. A vehicle as in claim 6 wherein a discharge means is mounted adjacenteach end of the car and when in the discharge position said meanspresent a surface continuously urging the bulk material to the edge ofthe bottom opening whereby substantially all of the material may bedischarged by gravity.

10. A vehicle as in claim 6 wherein the opening in the bottom of thevehicle comprises at least one hopper having a top cover which is openwhen the vehicle is used as a bulk carrier and closed when the vehicleis used to transport packaged goods.

1. A convertible covered hopper car; including upstanding vertical outerend and side walls, a floor, a ceiling and at least one discharge hopperprovided in the floor, the improvement comprising: sectional slope sheetmeans pivotally secured adjacent the ceiling movable from a retractedposition with a first section adjacent said outer end walls and a secondsection adjacent said ceiling to an extended sloping position, saidslope sheet means having a lower edge moveable along the floor towardthe hopper until the lower edge is adjacent the edge of the hopper asthe slope sheet is extended, and means shielded from the interior of thecar for moving the slope sheets to the extended position whereby thematerial may be swept to the edge of the hopper by the slope sheetduring the movement to the extended position.
 2. A vehicle of claim 1wherein said moving means for said slope means includes powertransmission means directly connected to the bottom of said slope sheetand a drive means independent of said vehicle but selectively engageablewith said drive means for use with different vehicles.
 3. The vehicle ofclaim 1 wherein said slope sheet means has the second section pivotallymounted to the side walls adjacent to top thereof and the first sectionpivotally joined to the lower edge of said second section for movementwith said second section as a unit from the retracted position whereinsaid second section is generally parallel to the floor and said firstsection is generally vertical, to an extended position wherein thesections form a generally continuous co-planer surface from the hopperupwardly and outwardly to a line inboard from its respective end wall,adjacent the roof whereby all material within the vehicle is eitherpushed toward the hopper or flows by gravitational force to the hopper.4. The vehicle of claim 3 including bearing means on the lower edge tosaid first section for sliding along the floor, means for retractingupper and lower sections and means for locking the slope sheet means inretracted position, said moving means for said slope sheet meansincluding cable secured to lower edge and adapted to be wrapped around awinch drum located generally centrally of the adjacent end of thevehicle, transmission means coupled to said winch drum having a couplerextending outwardly of the vehicle and an independent power drive meansselectively engagble with said coupler and completely removable fromsaid coupler and said vehicle whereby a single drive means may be usedfor different vehicles.
 5. A vehicle as in claim 1 wherein the slopesheet means is moved from the stored position to the discharge positionby means of a worm and a nut.
 6. A material handling vehicle capable ofcarrying bulk material to be discharged through an opening at the bottomof the vehicle and packaged material to be loaded and unloaded throughside doors; comprising an exterior shell having a top, bottom, side andend walls, at least one of said side walls having a sealable openingtherein and at least one opening at the bottom, discharge means mountedinside the shell movable from a first position adjacent the end wallbearing the bottom substantially free of obstruction to a second slopingposition overlying the bottom and having the lowermost edge adjacent thebottom opening to assist in unloading the vehicle through the bottomopening; said discharge means comprising a substantially planer elementserving as the interior end wall, occupying the first position duringthe transportation of the goods, whereby the vehicle has a substantiallylarger carrying capacity using the entire interior of the shell and asthe discharge means moves from the first position to the second positionthe material is swept to the discharge opening, means for moving thedischarge means from the stored position to the discharge position, andmeans for moving discharge means back to the stored position.
 7. Avehicle as in claim 6 wherein the discharge means comprises a rigidsheet pivotally mounted to the upper portions of the vehicle.
 8. Avehicle as in claim 6 wherein the discharge means comprises a pair ofrigid flat members hingedly secured together, one of said members beinghingedly secured to the upper portion of the vehicle whereby the meanscan be stored with one member adjacent the ceiling and the other memberadjacent the end wall.
 9. A vehicle as in claim 6 wherein a dischargemeans is mounted adjacent each end of the car and when in the dischargeposition said means present a surface continuously urging the bulkmaterial to the edge of the bottom opening whereby substantially all ofthe material may be discharged by gravity.
 10. A vehicle as in claim 6wherein the opening in the bottom of the vehicle comprises at least onehopper having a top cover which is open when the vehicle is used as abulk carrier and closed when the vehicle is used to transport packagedgoods.